Tennessee and Kentucky Serious Truck Accidents, and Wrongful Deaths from Tractor-Trailer, 18 Wheeler, Big-Rig Trucks, and Commercial Truck Accidents and Collisions.

Automobile accidents involving large commercial trucks are commonly referred to as big-rig truck accidents, 18 wheeler accidents, tractor-trailer accidents, or simply trucking accidents. Regardless of the term used, commercial truck accidents present a serious and unacceptable risk of serious injury and death to other motorist upon the road ways.

Collisions involving a commercial truck, such as an eighteen-wheeler or other large freight carrier, are more catastrophic than ordinary car accidents and often inflict extraordinary damages. Personal injuries resulting from these accidents commonly include serious neck injury, back injury, closed head injury, brain injury, spine or spinal chord injury, shoulder injury, severe burns, internal injuries, and broken and fractured bones. All to often these injuries involve fatalities.

Although motor vehicle accidents with 18 wheeled tractor-trailers can occur anywhere, statistically most accidents occur upon the highways and interstates where the truck is traveling at a higher rate of speed. Additionally, even when the speed of the vehicles is not high or occurs at a low speed, the weight of the truck and its freight make the likelihood of serious injury and/or death greater when a collision does occur. A fully-loaded large commercial truck often weighs in excess of 80,000 pounds, while an average passenger automobile weighs around 3,000 pounds. Because of this extreme disparity in size and weight, any collision between a commercial truck and another vehicle is serious. Large truck crashes account for approximately 5,800 fatalities and over 145,000 personal injuries a year.

The citizens of Tennessee and southern Kentucky are not immune from the extreme dangers presented by these large commercial trucks traveling through communities such as Clarksville, Nashville, Springfield, Dickson, Waverly, Ashland City, Oak Grove, and Hopkinsville.

When large trucks make deliveries in rural areas, in Tennessee and Kentucky the danger of accident is also significant as often the driver is unfamiliar with the area, the roads are smaller, and turns are tight making operation more challenging for the large and cumbersome tractor-trailer.

If You have been Injured in a Trucking, Tractor-Trailer, 18 Wheeler, or Commercial Truck Accident, Clarksville, Tennessee, Truck Accident Attorney J. Matthew Miller can Protect You and Your Loved Ones.

It is important for you to discuss your case with a skilled, experienced, Clarksville, Tennessee trial lawyer knowledgeable in tractor-trailer commercial trucking law. Trucking accidents present complex legal issues that differ greatly from general automobile accidents. To begin to recover the damages you have sustained the liability of the driver of the commercial truck, and often the owner of the truck, and trucking company must be established. Most cases proceed upon a theory of negligent operation of the truck by its driver. However, simply what the truck driver did or did not do in driving the truck at the moment of the accident itself is seldom the only facts necessary to prove negligence and/or reckless driving.

Numerous federal and state safety regulations have been established governing how many hours a truck driver may continuously drive without resting. Voluminous regulations apply as to the safety features on both the truck and the trailer. Additional regulations apply as to the freight and the driver's duties to keep proper updated log books. All of these issues must be thoroughly investigated.

To ensure that you may begin to recover all of your damages, it is necessary to ensue that all responsible parties are held responsible. Often, this involves suing the truck driver's employer. To hold the employer and/or truck owner liable, investigation into the hiring and training practices of the employer is required. The driving history and record of the truck driver is similarly important. Equally important is whether the trucking company properly checked the driving history of the truck driver and determined that the driver was competent and safe to control a fully loaded tractor-trailer before being put on the roads of Tennessee and Kentucky.

Any post-employment issues that arose with the truck driver after he or she was originally hired , but before your accident occurred are often important. These issues include whether the truck driver received speeding tickets after being employed, but before your accident. Additionally, whether the truck driver had been involved in any other motor vehicle accidents and truck collisions is significant as it may demonstrate a pattern of negligent and/or reckless use and operation. If the employer ignored these potential warnings, said indifference may constitute negligence by the employer in continuing to employ the negligent truck driver.

It is likely that the employer and truck owner will have required a training period for the truck driver. Records and information from said period may provide vital information. It is also likely that the employer has internal policies and regulations that its truck drivers must follow. These policies and procedures are mandatory for the driver and are established by the trucking company and/or truck owner to ensure safe operation of the truck. Violations of such internal regulations support the negligent operation of the big-rig commercial truck.

Apart from these issues, it is often important to determine the physical and mental state and condition of the truck driver at the time of the accident, as well as the mechanical condition of the truck, and its trailer. The truck and the trailer are not always owned by the same person and/or company. As such, the proper owners also must be indentified.

Investigation into these areas includes obtaining any drug and alcohol toxicology reports on the truck driver. Similarly, the condition of the truck and trailer must be determined by making a mechanical inspection usually by an expert commercial truck mechanic retained by your attorney.

The condition of the brakes, and the tires on the tractor and the trailer is very important. The speed of the truck at each moment of the accident can provide vital evidence as to what transpired. This information can be obtained on newer trucks from internal computers that record vital information on the truck during its operation. These issues and numerous others should be thoroughly investigated to maximize the recovery of damages.

While we realize that your injuries and suffering, or the loss of a loved one can never be fully compensated by recovering money, such damages can begin to allow you and your loved ones to begin to cope with the accident and what now lies ahead. You will need assistance with medical care and bills to ensure that you and your families' financial future is not permanently jeopardized. Similarly, you may have lost wages and sustained a diminished future loss of wages; and/or, diminished earning capacity following the accident.

Your pain and suffering, and personal injuries may require surgeries to begin your recovery. We understand that your situation may and likely does seem overwhelming. We know you need honest straight forward answers. As such, we are available both inside and outside of office hours to assist you. We answer all questions and if desired, we are glad to travel to you wherever you may be when you cannot come to our offices.

Our goal is to give you and your family the peace of mind that you need so you can focus on what matters most, your recovery. In accidents involving the death of a loved one, our focus is to provide stability and to protect the survivors and the family of the victim to ensure that both justice is done and that every possible penny that can be recovered is recovered.

We realize that due to the nature of trucking accident injuries, and the personal injuries that result, your case demands personal, direct attorney attention. Although we, like all law firms employ and use paralegals and assistants, your case will not be turned over at anytime to anyone other than your attorney. Our attorneys will keep you informed and will provide direct, one-on-one attention.

After-all, your injuries are called personal injuries for a reason, they are personal to you and to your loved ones. For this reason, your personal injuries are personally handled from the start of your case through the finish.

If you or a loved one have been the victim of a tractor-trailer, 18 wheeler, box-truck, delivery truck, and/or commercial truck accident we would be honored to speak with you to discuss your case. All telephone calls and consultations are free of charge. Help starts with your call.

Trucking Accident Attorney: J. Matthew Miller (931) 647-1501